Revising My GAME Plan - Week 6

As the class is coming to a close in a few weeks, I recognize there is still much more to evaluate and accomplish before my goals have been successfully met. Here are a few more questions:

**What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice? What goals am I still working toward?

I have not done anything in the past week in terms of Promethean Board training and technology committee participation, but this week’s resources basically fit perfectly with my goal of convincing the school district to allow social networking and online collaboration tools in the elementary classroom. With all the ideas and evidence afforded this week, I feel like I can begin to formalize an argument in favor of these resources.

**Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals have I set for myself or how will I extend what I have learned so far?

I have no new learning goals because I do not feel confident that I have come close to completing my original goals due to summer vacation. However, as I said before, this week’s resources have substantially developed my argument as to the benefits of social networking and online collaboration resources in the classroom. In using these tools, students experience greater diversity than most communities currently present. My community is made up primarily of low-income, Christian white families. Many of the children who come from these families are exposed to racial and religious biases that could be overcome by these tools. From personal experience, my students held many beliefs about Jewish people until they met me and discovered that I was nothing like their parents had said. The video discussed a similar situation about Muslim individuals. This experience exposes them to different cultures and languages in a virtual world where the student is the both the teacher and student. Since time differences are generally an issue if the classroom is hoping for direct interaction, these tools allow for asynchronous teamwork, where students can leave thoughts or work for others who may view it at a different time. I am already looking forward to collaborating with an ex-colleague of mine that moved to Beijing, China. The collaboration is still able to exist even if the parties involved are unable to speak directly to each other. I love how these resources give the opportunity to practice writing skills and higher order thinking skills, sometimes due to the need to perform at a higher level. The smartest of the smart in my school may still not be as gifted as some other students who they would “meet” in a virtual classroom environment. I also appreciate that these tools allow those shy students who do not like to talk to others in class to think about what they want to “say” and share it in audio or text form on the computer. The computer is a motivational tool for students of every age because they are able to associate it with their daily personal lives. It isn’t always seen as school work. A good argument I heard in the videos this week cut right to the core of the district’s worry about student misuse of these tools. It is definitely worth noting that any technology can be used for good or for bad, so it is in the child’s best interest to be taught the correct etiquette before they make up their own rules.

**What learning approaches will I try next time to improve my learning?

Next time, I would seek out more direct help from colleagues. Due to summer vacation, much of what I’ve been doing to meet my goals has been independent. Some of the professionals that could really assist me in what I’m trying to accomplish do not have email, do not check school email, or don’t think about school matters during the summer months.